Kerala assembly elections: Will Pinarayi Vijayan finally get lucky in his quest to be the CM?

Freed of party responsibilities which he led for 20 years and cleared of corruption charges, this is Vijayan's best chance to become the CM

Coming from Kannur, the strongest fort of the Communist Party in Kerala, 72-year old Pinarayi Vijayan (Pinarayi is the name of a place in Kannur) is a hardcore communist partyman and has an image of a tough personality. While the party has not declared who will be the Chief Minister if the party wins, Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to be the favourite unless veteran leader and former chief minister VS Achuthanandan also throws his hat in the ring. 

Born in a toddy tapper’s family in Kannur in March, 1944, to Mundayil Koran and Kalyani, he worked as a handloom weaver for an year before joining the Pre-University course in the Government Brennen College, Thalassery. Later he completed the undergraduate degree course from there, says the Communist Party website. Vijayan entered student politics, was State President, Secretary of Kerala Students Fedaration (KSF) and State President of Kerala Socialist Youth Federation (KSYF) before becoming a member of CPI (M) Kannur District Committee at the age of 24. He was elected to the State Legislative Assembly four times and was the Minister for Electricity and Co-operation starting from 1996. 

Vijayan found himself mired in controversy when his name came up in a financial scam related to three power projects, his supporters claim that his efforts during the tenure has ensured availability of electricity in the State. Following the death of State Secretary Chadayan Govindan, Vijayan, popularly referred to as Pinarayi, submitted his resignation as Minister to become the State Secretary of CPI (M) in 1998. He headed the Party as State Secretary from 1998 to 2015. He is contesting the election from the Dharmadam constituency of Kannur, which includes his home town Pinarayi. 

While he was subsequently discharged by a court in the corruption case, the ruling government kept the case alive for a long time making it easy for his detractors within the party to keep him away from staking claim to the top job. 

With his name now cleared and free from party positions, his real battle starts once LDF gets enough seats to stake a claim for forming the next government on May 19, 2016. His supporters are keeping a close eye on the moves of VS Achuthanandan to ensure that Vijayan is not upstaged at the last minute.